HP Photosmart R817 Digital Camera Review

The HP Photosmart R817 will satisfy families looking for an easy-to-use Point and Shoot digital camera. With each iteration of HP’s camera line the specifications improve and the user interface simplifies. This digital camera sports a 5 megapixel CCD, a 5x optical Pentax zoom lens, a large 2″ LCD. The only downside is the usual (unfortunately) softness and noise present in images when zoomed. For the 4×6 printing crowd, the R817 will fit in a pocket of purse, zoom in on details, and never confuse the least competent photo taker.

Specification Highlights

5.1 Megapixel CCD – Effective

5x Optical, 8x Digital zoom

LCD: 2.0″ diagonal (153,600 pixels)

ISO: 50 — 400 + Auto

Shutter: 15 — 1/2000 sec

Movies: Up 320 x 240 @ 30fps

Media: SD or MMC (32MB integrated in camera)

Features

The R817 has integrated the standard set of HP features and scene modes. HP has been steadily adding and refining its set of proprietary technologies to make digital photography easier and the odds of taking a high-quality photo greater. With the R817 you can expect:

HP Adaptive Lighting – This feature take images with high contrast areas or deep shadows and lightens them so the image looks more balanced overall. See, my review of the R717 for sample photos of the R717 with and without the use of Adaptive Lighting.

In Camera Red-Eye Removal — This feature will search images for faces and those dreaded red eyes. Once found the HP will do its best to remove them.

Panorama Stitching — The panorama photo feature has been a staple of digital cameras for a number of years. It requires taking several overlapping photos and then stitching’ them together on a PC using special software. With the R817 the stitching and previewing can all be done on the camera without the need of a PC.

HP Image Advice — I found the advice to be all but useless. It frequently and commonly tells me that image is out of focus because I pushed the shutter too quickly. I’m not quite sure how that’s my fault since the camera should focus and then shoot. Also, images that were obviously underexposed and extremely dark received the advice of: “No suggestion for this image”.

PictBridge — HP incorporates the CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Assocation) PictBridge standard that allows for imaging products to print directly to supported printer without the need of a PC. This is all in the spirit of simplifying the digital photo experience.

When you look at the sum of these features, it’s clear that one of HP’s strategies is not to force the consumer to own a PC for photo retouching and printing. It’s an expense and a complexity many families don’t want to deal with. By incorporating the most common editing features into the camera or the printer, HP can satisfy this segment of customers. However, if you are interested in storing and editing photos on a PC or Mac, the R817 comes with HP’s weighty software install.

The R817 all sports a number of manual controls should you choose to go that direction. You can set ISO, bracketing, AE metering, auto and manual focus modes, shutter speed, and aperture. While there are a plethora of manual controls, if you really need and expect to have that much control over a camera, look elsewhere. This camera is built for the automated crowd.

Like most point and shoots, the R817 integrates a number of scene modes. These include:

Auto

Landscape

Portrait

Theater

Panorama

Action

Beach

Snow

Sunset

Document

Aperture or Shutter Priority

Manual

My Mode

Camera Design

The R817 is compact and nice looking. Similar to the R717 it is made of brushed aluminum and a gunmetal-colored plastic. It has a solid feel at a bit less than 7 oz with the proprietary battery installed. An indentation on the rear of the camera for the user’s thumb gives it an unexpectedly nice feel to hold and shoot with one hand.

The overall user interface of the cameras buttons are very well laid out. With one hand you can hold the camera, shoot a photo or a movie, zoom in and out with your thumb, and access the menu system through the four-way rocker and Menu button. A neat row of buttons along the bottom access flash, focus, shooting/timer, and playback modes. Pressing any of these buttons present an easy to read and interpret list of options.

Earlier in the review I mentioned that each iteration of HP camera has a slightly more refined interface. When changing the most common of options like flash mode, this becomes very apparent. No longer is the user shown a list of hard-to-read options and icons. The user is shown large icons in a neat row with a description below it. This will definitely appeal to those who have shied away from the digital scene.

The R817 also comes with 32 MB of internal memory so that you are never without. This is good for 15 5MP photos. It’s not much, but it’s usable. You’ll also find the camera ships with a dock for recharging and connectivity to a PC, Mac, or PictBridge camera.

Image Quality and Performance

Image quality on the R817 is no better and no worse than previous compact models we’ve reviewed from HP. 4×6 photos and most 5×7 will print with no issue. However, when compared at a zoomed level side-by-side with Canon Powershot A95, a favorite of mine, the flaws of the R817 are apparent:

The overall saturation of color is much more vibrant on the A95

The stone in the house behind the pumpkin lacks definition in the R817 shot

A lot of noise is evident in the small pumpkin in the window of the house that is not present in the A95 version

The bush up and right of the inflatable pumpkin lack definition and contrast of its leaves in the R817 version

Startup, focus, and recycle times are all average to good for a camera in the price range. Pre-focusing on your image is always recommended though not always possible. Expect a quarter to half second delay when trying to capture a fast-action shot.

The 5x optical zoom is a breath of fresh air. Breaking the mold of most compact digital cameras which stop at 3x, the R817 allows for more detail at greater distances. The 8x digital zoom is not even worth mentioning since digital zoom is worthless for gathering more detail.

The R817 is the successor the R717. While the R817 has one fewer megapixels, the addition of the 5x optical Pentax lens and refined user interface make up for it. While the Pentax lens may take slightly sharper photos, noise continues to be an issue for people wanting the best image quality for their money.

At the time of this writing, the R817 can be had from Internet sites for around $225 after rebates. Given the simplicity of the camera, its very good user interface, PictBridge capability, plethora of scene modes, ability to share photos by email easily, and integrated HP technologies, I would recommend the R817 as I did the R717. If you come across a Canon camera in the same price range and the feature set appeals to you, it’s likely you’ll get better images from the Canon. However, if HP would step up to the plate on the noise levels in some of its images, HP could be a leading player in the digital camera market.

Pros

Great ergonomics and user interface

Easy to use

Excellent integration of the camera with computers, printers, online services, and television with the right accessories

5x optical lens gets you up close

Cons

Image noise is still moderately high

QVGA movie mode is weak

Recommended For(Same as R717) Consumers new to digital photography with an interest in exploring all aspects of digital photography: editing, printing, online sharing, and emailing